Keeping residents' heads above water
No need for an ark when Reginald Jefferson is around

Public Works maintenance manager Reginald Jefferson, right, instructs equipment worker Lee Stanfield in the jet-rodding procedure to clear a neighborhood storm sewer. Jefferson’s section keeps the water running in the city’s storm sewers.

Photos and story by John Perry

“We’ve got flooding!” said the distressed voice calling 311.

For Reginald Jefferson, a Public Works and Engineering maintenance manager in the storm sewer maintenance section, the process has begun.

“I’ve had mornings when I rolled out of bed at 3:30 to respond to street flooding,” said Jefferson, headquartered at the PW&E office at 5500 N. McCarty. “But we’re in the business of public service. When citizens need help, you’ve got to be there for them.”

Jefferson’s section operates and maintains the city’s storm sewer system, including flushing out sewer lines and replacing missing manhole covers. The goal is to keep the water flowing properly.

The storm sewer system is different from the sanitary sewer system, Jefferson said. Storm sewers are designed for storm water only and empty directly into major ditches and bayous rather than into a water-treatment facility.

Jefferson has spent the last 23 years probing and clearing clogged city sewers in response to citizen calls for help. And though no day is the same, Jefferson said some are “pretty predicable.”

Whenever there’s a hard, steady rain, Jefferson knows exactly what the day will bring.

“First comes the rain, then the leaves and branches fall down,” he said. “Next thing you know, you’ve got blockage with flooding. This is especially prevalent in the older subdivisions where the pipes are undersized.”

The first step in unclogging a backup is to locate the downstream manhole cover nearest the blocked sewer, Jefferson said. After removing the cover, a PW&E vac-con truck with a trained equipment worker clears the line by “jet-rodding.”

With jet-rodding, a high-pressure hydraulic hose with attached steel-nozzle is inserted into the blocked sewer pipe. Up to 2,500 pounds of water pressure blasts forward from the multiple nozzle openings, knocking a clear path through the sewer stoppage.

Jefferson’s section has teams for entering storm sewers to remove debris and objects blocking the system.

Jefferson is all smiles as street flooding begins to recede after his team cleared a clogged sewer.

“I don’t enter the sewer myself,” Jefferson said with a chuckle as he shook his head. “That’s not for me. Besides, it takes a special certification. But I go out to the site with them. You’d be surprised what we find in there.”

Entry teams have cleared automobile tires, bicycles and “almost anything you could imagine,” he said.

Occasionally, Jefferson’s crew is asked to help with police investigations.

“We’ve assisted the police many times, looking for evidence,” he said. “HPD has asked us to recover things like guns used in the commission of a crime.”

Once, HPD asked Jefferson and his crew to search for a little girl who was missing.

“I really dreaded that call because I was afraid we might find her dead in there,” he said. “Fortunately, she turned up safely outside the neighborhood.”

Jefferson, married 17 years, says what he likes most about his job is helping people. He believes it sets a good example for his four children.

“First and foremost, I consider myself a public servant,” Jefferson said. “When people need me, I want to be there.”

During Tropical Storm Alison, his crew worked 24 consecutive hours.

Citizens have recognized Jefferson for going “the extra mile.”

Attorney Roy Rowland wrote PW&E director Michael Marcotte to commend Jefferson for finding Rowland’s wallet with credit cards in a sewer and promptly returning them to him. In the letter, Rowland wrote: “If Mr. Jefferson and his crew are indicative of the people who run this city, we are in fine hands.”

William V. Springfield e-mailed Art Kidder, assistant director of the drainage maintenance branch, after Jefferson handled a difficult street-flooding issue.

“I felt I had to let you know about the outstanding service we received by your storm sewer maintenance section,” Springfield wrote. “Mr. Jefferson showed true concern for our plight. Thanks for putting our tax dollars to good work.”

Kidder is well aware of Jefferson’s commitment.

“Reggie is very responsive to the citizens’ needs,” Kidder says. “He often has to deal with an angry public, but Reggie has always been sensitive to their feelings and gotten along well with them. He’s a big help to us. I’m glad to have him on the team.”

Mayor Bill White is proud to have Jefferson in the Mayor’s Spotlight: “Reginald R. Jefferson is on the front line delivering an essential service to the citizens. To many, he is the face of the city, and I am pleased with his hard work and dedication. He is just one example of the dedicated employees we have in the Public Works & Engineering Department.”